


Machine of Death Short Stories

by FahcLove



Category: Machine of Death - ed. Bennardo/Malki/North
Genre: 4k words in like a week, Almost Drowning, F/F, Talk about death, drowing tw, gay moms, i never usually finish stories, im so proud of this, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-04 16:44:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13368897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FahcLove/pseuds/FahcLove
Summary: In a world with the Machine of Death, there are always people who are extremely for it, and extremely against it But what if these two groups met in the middle. Chaos.





	1. UNDERWATER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie has always found her death interesting, and now she gets to finally figure it out. Hopefully, she will get a good death while getting the girl too!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this because my English teacher is having me read the MAchine of Death book for a persuasive essay, but I think the concept is so cool I'm writing a narrative cause I can. 
> 
> Featuring my disposable characters who are all gay,

 

Ellie stared at the Death Certificate in her hand and looked back up at her Mom, who was biting her thumb. That was always a habit her Mom could never get rid of, and it Ellie had started doing it more and more the older she got. Like mother like daughter.

“Mom,” Ellie started, rubbing her Mom’s back reassuringly, “we can still go to the beach you know. I just...don’t have to get in the water?” she tried, but that just made tears start to prick at the corners of her Mom’s eyes. Ellie hated when people cried. Especially her Mom. And especially about her death. 

Honestly, Ellie hated this whole “I know when you die and I’m sad” thing. Sure, it felt a little weird to know that she could die the next time she goes to the creek by her house, but she doesn’t feel weird enough to cry over. Not like her parents. Parents are the only people who even cry over Death Certificates anyway. Holly - who’s DC says CRASH - always said it was because now the baby they gave birth to was gonna die, but Ash - she has OVERDOSE - says that her parents always knew that.

“I mean,” she says, “everyone dies, right?” And Ellie has to agree with her. But today is not the day to tell her parents that.

“B-But,” her Mom stutters out, and Ellie can see she’s trying not to cry, which Ellie appreciates, “what does UNDERWATER even mean? Are you going to drown, or be shot underwater? Maybe you just can’t go in the water with people! That means our trip will still work out!” she stands up and wipes away her tears, getting the determined look back on her face again. 

Ellie smiles at how her Mom is trying to give her death a silver lining. Ellie and her Moms always go on a trip to the beach every Spring Break, because it’s where her Moms met, and where Ellie had her first kiss - without either of her parents knowing - so the beach is full of good memories. Ellie would hate it if she had to stop going there forever just because of a silly card. 

“Mom, we can still go to the beach. It doesn’t matter if my card says UNDERWATER or STROKE. It’s still gonna happen, so why stop it?” Ellie adds, grabbing her Mom’s hand as they walk out of the mall. Ellie turns around as they leave, and locks eyes with the glowing ones of the Machine of Death. The line of people waiting to receive their death has doubled since Ellie and her Mom got her Death Certificate, but she isn’t surprised. She was only five months old when the first Machine of Death was put in the first doctor’s office, and in only 17 years the machines have been mass-produced everywhere. Except for Russia. Ellie read an article in school on how Russia has banned the Machines of Death, which she finds stupid, especially since she had to write an essay about it.

“Do you want to get ice cream, honey? I know I promised your Mama we’d be home before six but I’m sure she’ll understand,” her Mom offered, breaking through Ellie’s thoughts as they climbed into the car. 

Ellie looked over at her. Short brown hair with red streaks that she got when she lost a bet with her coworker. Tattoos snaking up and down her right arm and down her back. A light dusting of freckles on her face. Her brown eyes, the only thing Ellie got from her. All of this embodies her Mom, someone who wants to cry so hard but won’t, for Ellie’s sake. “Yeah Mom, that would be great. I’ve been craving some good chocolate ice cream for the past few weeks now,” her Mom looks at her and smiles and they drive off to find an ice cream shop. 

 

* * *

 

Even though Ellie hated the stigma that went with getting your Death Certificate, the week after she got her DC was very.....uneventful. Nothing really happened, except her friends talked about it. Her friend Tristan has DROWN, so they bonded over the fact that they would both die surrounded by fishes, which was something, cause Ellie didn’t really talk to Tristan that much. But now they always had something to talk about. 

Holly and Ash were both very excited for her and even offered to throw a party, but Ellie told them some other time. She didn’t really want to eat a cake with jello and fish like the normal Drowning cakes are. It would be better than Ash’s cake from her party a few months ago, a bottle of pills, which was the stupidest idea for just anyone. 

Classes were the exact same, but now Ellie could mention her DC in stuff they write, which in History and English is a lot. 

“Now, how many of you have received your Death Certificates?” her English teacher asked one day, two weeks after Ellie got hers, so she proudly raised her hand in the air with almost everyone else in the class. “The reason I’m asking is because the government right now is discussing if they should lower the age of receiving DCs. Right now it's at 18 years old, which most of you should be, as this is a Senior-Only class, but government officials have brought up the idea of it being lowered to 16 years old. I want you to get into your groups and discuss it.”

Ellie turned her desk around into her designated group, three other kids who all have their DCs, except for Alexis, her dad and step-mom being FCAs (Free Choice Advocates). There was Zach, Oscar, and Clare, who have STROKE, CANCER and TRAIN CRASH, respectfully. 

“Ellie, have you gotten your DC yet?” Zach asked, and Ellie glanced at Alexis. Even though Alexis didn’t know her death, and probably never would, Ellie liked her, and for some reason, wanted to make her feel a little better, at least for this class. 

“Nope, I’ve decided to wait until graduation,” Ellie lied and saw Zach and Clare share a look. Alexis gave Ellie a small smile, which Ellie returned, feeling her cheeks heat up. 

 

* * *

 

“Ellie, wait up!” Ellie heard a voice call out to her and she turned around, seeing Alexis running after her. 

“Hey Alexis, what’s up?”

Alexis reached her, out of breath and Ellie chuckled, “I-I wanted to invite you to my 18th birthday next weekend! It’s at my parent’s cottage over near Heart Lake. I’m also inviting Ash, plus my friend Adrian. I’d love if you could make it!” Ellie grabbed the invitation from Alexis’s hand, feeling almost electrocuted when their hands brushed.

Ellie thought about it for a second before smiling, “Alexis, I’d love to go to your party. I’ll make sure to text you tonight when I ask my parents though!” Alexis smiled and Ellie was pretty sure her heart melted at the sight of it, but it was probably just her imagination. 

 

“I don’t think it was your imagination El, that’s exactly how I felt when I met your Mom,” Ellie’s Mama said after Ellie recalled the story to her that night. Her comment made Ellie’s face grow an even darker shade of red, causing her Mama to laugh, “and of course you can go to that girl’s party. We don’t really go camping anymore so staying at her cabin will probably be amazing. Just don’t tell your Mom that it’s near Heart Lake. I don’t think she can take any more stress, especially with her job right now,” Ellie nodded, giving her Mama a kiss on the cheek and almost skipping to her room to text Alexis. And to call Ash.

 

When Ellie was recounting the day to Ash, her friend almost started laughing, “It’s not funny!” Ellie protested, sticking her tongue out at her, “I feel like I turn into a bumbling mess around her! I even lied and told her that I didn't get a DC so she wouldn’t feel bad about not having one! I just-” Ellie whined, but Ash cut her off.

“You did what?”

“I told Alexis that I was waiting until graduation before I would get my DC, but only because she looked really lonely and I wanted her to feel better about her parents being FCAs! It’s not that bad...” Ellie trailed off as Ash gave her a look, but didn’t say anything. “Anyway! Are you going to her birthday party? I hope you are cause I need a wingman!” 

Ash didn’t comment on the fact that Ellie changed the subject, which she was thankful for, “Duh, of course I’m going to the cabin, I wouldn’t miss it for the world! Alexis’s actually really nice, so I’m glad she invited me! But isn't it by Heart Lake? Are you sure you’re Moms are okay with you going?” 

“Yeah, I talked to my Mama first, and she gave me the go-ahead, which is great. I’m not worried about the water, I can’t change how I die even if I wanted to.”

There was a long silence, where Ellie assumed Ash was thinking about her own demise. All Ellie hoped for was that Ash’s death wasn’t self-inflicted, and more of an accident. Having your DC being SUICIDE is rough, Ellie knows. Her aunt’s certificate says that and everyone treats her like she’s going to kill herself any minute. 

“Joseph! Get off your phone and come help set the table!” Ash’s mom called, and Ash gave Ellie an apologetic look before closing the call. 

Ellie stood up and walked over to her calendar, marking the day that Alexis will pick her, Ash, and Adrian up for the “Birthday Bash”, as stated on the card. 

* * *

 

 

The day was finally here. Ellie woke up at 6:00 AM because she was so nervous. Her and her Moms - who were both leaving for work - helped her look over all her clothes before they had to leave, and Ellie decided to take a shower. 

“I have until 10 o’clock,” Ellie reminds herself as she stepped out of the shower, and got dressed, heading over to the kitchen to make some breakfast. As her Mom always says, “Nothing can be bad with a good breakfast!” The rest of the morning she did some small work around the house just to bide time until Alexis would show up and she’d be in a car for two or more hours, driving to a cabin by a lake. 

Ellie was in the middle of putting some of her clothes in the dryer when the doorbell rang. She opened the door and felt her heart soar when Alexis gave her a hug in greeting. 

“Ellie!” Ash called from behind Alexis, walking into her house like she owned it, “I’ll grab your stuff, get into the car and sit next to my stuff!” she said, giving Ellie a not very subtle wink. 

Ellie and Alexis walked out of her house and into Alexis’s car, a bright blue minivan, which made Ellie smile. She was glad she wasn’t the only one who drove one of those. 

Inside the van was someone in the passenger seat - Ellie guessed it was Adrian - and a bunch of snacks in the back seat. Ellie immediately knew that was where Ash was sitting, so she moved some of the snacks out of the way and sat down as Alexis stuffed her duffel bag full of clothes into the back with help from Ash. 

“So, you must be Adrian? Alexis has talked a lot about you,” Ellie said to the guy in the passenger seat, who pulled the headphones out of his ears as he turned to look at her.

“Really? What has she said?” Adrian asked skeptically, raising one of his eyebrows as if to say “There is no way she has”.

And he was right. Alexis had only talked about Adrian here and there, but not really enough for her to tell him. She needed to think of something. She looked at his blue-ish hair with a little bit of blonde peeking out, at his sweatshirt with a logo that she didn’t recognize, and a My Chemical Romance shirt. He looked oddly familiar. Then it hit her.

“You’re Clare’s twin!” Ellie exclaimed triumphantly. Clare was one of the most popular girls in school, and in her English group. She always talked about her twin brother, but Ellie had only seen him in pictures. Until now.

Adrian’s face fell. He looked a little angry, and Ellie felt kinda bad. She wanted to make it up to him, “Alexis also talks about what great music taste you have,” she added, and saw his face return to a neutral position. 

“Heart Lake here we come!” Ash cheered as she jumped into the car, Alexis honking at Ellie’s empty house as they drove away.

The car ride was fun, in Ellie’s opinion. Ash has always been the life of the party, even when they were kids, so being in a long car ride with her was better than trying to play car games with her Mama. Ellie thought the four of them made a really good team, even if Adrian didn’t talk much. But she did see him take out his earbuds after a few minutes, so she counted that as a win for her. She sadly didn’t talk to Alexis that much, mostly because she was the driver and had to pay attention to the road while Ash threw Cheese-Its at Adrian as he was putting in his own mixtape.

“I swear it’s good,” he protested, holding up a CD with the words “Adrian’s Mixtape” scrawled in sharpie on it, “my boy-I mean my girlfriend helped me pick out the music and h-she actually has good taste,” he stumbled over his words and looked a little embarrassed but Ellie didn’t want to comment on it in case he got upset. 

“Just play it then!” Alexis groaned, and Adrian stuck his tongue out at her, putting the CD in. 

Ellie was preparing for something like Death Metal to come blasting out of the speakers, but she was shocked when she heard Fall Out Boy, a band she listened to a lot when she was younger. Ash and she cheered in excitement and Ellie swore she saw Adrian’s ear get redder underneath the blue hair. 

Soon all four of them were singing along, jamming out and forgetting about the fact that they have been stuck in the car for an hour and a half, and they were still an hour away.

But, as Ellie discovered, when you’re in a car with three other people who share the same music taste as you, an hour in a car with a working stereo that can have phones be plugged into it makes the time go by really fast. Soon enough Alexis was parking in front of a log cabin and the four of them were all getting out to stretch their legs. 

Ash managed to get into the cabin first, racing to the bedroom she was staying in, “Wow, this house is nice!” she exclaimed, popping back out to grab Adrian and show him to his room, giving Ellie a wink as she left. 

“Oh Alexis, I never got to wish you happy birthday!” Ellie remembered, “be right back,” she ran out of the house and into the car, searching for the present she had wrapped for Alexis.

“I found it!”  
“Found what?” Alexis had not waited for Ellie, instead following her and trying to peak over Ellie’s shoulder for the present in her hand. 

“This! A birthday present for you! Open it now!!” Ellie could barely stay still, she was so excited for Alexis to see her gift.

Alexis looked nervous at the gift-wrapped package, as if it was a bomb. She opened it and grabbed the letter, quickly reading it before looking at the gift.

“A book?”

“Not just any book Alexis! The one you said you wanted to read during English class, so I got it for you! I hope you like it.”

Alexis stared at the book for a few seconds, opening it and reading the first few pages before giving Ellie a hug.

“Thank you so much! I completely forgot that I wanted it!” she exclaimed, still hugging her, and Ellie swears she felt her heart stop.

“Woah crazy kids! Wait until you guys are inside before you start banging!” Ash called from the front door and the girls broke the hug. Ellie swore her face was bright red, but no one commented on it. 

After a few minutes of Alexis and Ellie moving into the rooms they were staying, the four of them met in the living room to discuss the plan for the three days they would be staying there, which involved shopping, fishing, and s’mores. 

Ellie smiled to herself as Alexis explained what she had planned for everyone. She knew this weekend was going to be good. 

 

* * *

 

Ellie was torn. The weekend was going great, they had gone thrift shopping yesterday, and eaten s’mores every night, but as Ellie was sleeping, she was plagued with dreams of Alexis hating her because Ellie lied about not getting a Death Certificate. 

She recounted her problems to Ash, who was pretty helpful.

“El, I think you’re freaking out about this a little too much,” she said after Ellie told her about her dreams, “yeah it was kind of a stupid thing to do cause you lied to your crush about something important but it was to make her feel better so...it cancels out? I don’t really know if it does, but Alexis is an understanding person. I’m sure if you just told her then she would probably forgive you. Besides, I’m pretty sure she likes you too, so she can’t hate you for too long!” 

Ellie sighed, “I know it’s not a big deal but I still feel bad. I mean,  I lied to her about me not getting a Death Certificate, which is a pretty important thing, especially since her parents are FCAs and when we talked a few days ago, you seemed pretty disappointed in me...I think I’ll tell her tomorrow, after we go fishing,” she decided, and gave Ash a high five for confidence. 

What neither Ellie or Ash saw was Adrian, going to tell the girls that it was time to make dinner, and overhearing Ellie talk about how she lied to Alexis. Instead of interrupting Ellie, he decided to find Alexis and talk to her instead.  

 

* * *

 

Ellie looked at the clock, which read 7:10, “Ash, it’s really late. I thought it was a group dinner tonight?”

Ash shrugged, not looking up from Animal Crossing on her phone, “Maybe they decided to make it for us instead?”

“I doubt that,” Ellie said. Something didn’t feel right, “I’m gonna go check out what happening. Hopefully, it's not a zombie apocalypse or anything.”

Ellie walked out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen, which was empty. She then looked into the living room, which was also empty. 

“Is there actually a zombie apocalypse? Where are they,” Ellie said to herself as she checked the front door then the back door. Then she saw them. 

Alexis and Adrian were talking by the pier, their silhouette illuminated by the setting sun. Adrian seemed to be comforting Alexis, both of their backs turned away from the cabin as if to hide any crying. Seeing Alexis like that made Ellie more worried. Maybe Alexis’s dad died and she was so upset about that she forgot to get them for dinner! Or Alexis’s step-mom gave birth, or her mom came to town! There were so many possibilities, and most of them were good, so Ellie wasn’t too worried anymore. 

“Alexis! Adrian!” she yelled, running over to the pier, “Why didn’t you guys get me and Ash for dinner? I was started to get a little worried!” she exclaimed, and when they turned around, Ellie was shocked. They both looked angry. Not like ‘I’m mad at you for stealing my boyfriend angry’ but just cold hard rage. Ellie felt like a wall had just divided her between them just by the coldness in both of their eyes. 

“G-Guys, what’s wrong?” 

Alexis exploded, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong!? What’s wrong is that you lied to me!” 

Ellie froze. Her or Adrian must’ve overheard her talking to Ash. In that moment, cornered by her crush and her friend, Ellie actually wished they had been turned into zombies. It would be better than this. “A-Alexis it wasn’t like that! I was-”

“You were just ‘Trying to make me feel better’,”Alexis used finger quotations, which hurt Ellie more than they should’ve, “Yeah right. You were just doing it for yourself! Just so you could write it in your diary. “Dear Diary, I made one person happy today by sinking myself to their level! Gold star for me!”,” she mocked her in a high pitched voice, and Ellie felt more shame about what she did than ever before. She glanced at Adrian, but he avoided even looking at her. 

“I-I...” Ellie tried to explain herself but had nothing. Alexis and Adrian passed by her, leaving the pier, “I was going to tell you! I’m sorry Alexis!” Ellie called out.

Alexis whipped around, “You lied about one of the most important things in my life! You think I want to be stuck with my Dad and his stupid FCA wife? You think I don’t want to know what every other kid knows and you don’t think I wasn’t one of the younger kids who dream of getting their Death Certificate? I was! And now it probably won’t happen until I graduate, or even later than that! I get teased enough as it is I don’t need the one person that I actually have a crush on in that godforsaken school to mock me for it too!” 

Ellie was speechless. She couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t even comment on the fact that Alexis said she had a crush on her. 

“Ellie, I thought you were a good person, a cool person, a nice, pretty, funny, sweet person. But you’re not. You’re. Just. Like. The. Rest. Of. Them!” at each word Alexis stepped closer, and when she said the last one, she pushed Ellie off the pier.

The water was chilly, like it should be in early November and when Ellie crashed into it she felt herself sink. Her DC said she would die UNDERWATER, so maybe this was right. Maybe this was the way she was supposed to die. She opened her eyes, looking at the murky green water of the lake and saw a shadow of a fish swim by her. Ellie smiled. If she was gonna die like this, it wouldn’t be too bad. She felt her lungs trying to find air and she saw her vision slowly going black. It looks like this was the end for her. 

Then she felt six arms grab her and pull her out of the water onto the shore. Ellie gasped for air then threw up the water that had seeped into her lungs. It wasn’t until around a minute later that she realized she had thrown up the water in Alexis’s lap, who was holding her like she had almost died. Which she had. 

“Oh my God I’m so so sorry Ellie. I’m so sorry,” Alexis kept repeating as Ellie laid on her lap, one hand being grasped by Ash. Adrian was on the opposite side, rubbing her back.

Ellie tried to speak but instead coughed violently, her lungs still trying to expel the water trapped there. After she finished coughing, she sat up more and looked Alexis’s tear-stained face. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too.”

“El, if you had died I would’ve killed you,” Ash added in, and Ellie looked at her. She was also crying. So was Adrian, surprisingly. 

“I’m glad you’re not dead,” he added, and Ellie laughed, which turned into a cough. 

The four of them moved closer together, all covered in water and mud, all of them crying, one of them whispering “sorry” every few minutes, but they were okay. 

“I love you,” Alexis whispered to Ellie after a few minutes of silence between them. 

“I love you too,” she responded, and felt Alexis press a kiss to her forehead, “and I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.”

“We’re all sorry!” Ash exclaimed, “let’s just get that clear. We are all sorry.”

Ellie smiled, “Sorry,” she said automatically, making Ash groan and everyone laugh. 

I change my mind, Ellie thought to herself as she was surrounded by her friends, today was not the right day to die. She would do that some other time. 


	2. GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being stuck in a government facility sucks especially when you have magic powers and a strange machine says you are fated to die there. But Jace has never been too good with fate,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wrow another 4k story!! are u proud of me mom?? hope you enjoy!

Jace stared at the slip of paper in his hand and sighed. He felt like crying, but he didn’t. Jace thought he was the one! The one that wouldn’t be killed by the people who have trapped him in this government building, poking and prodding him and the nine others with him, waiting until the day that they become useless so they can kill them. Jace thought he was different. He thought he could maybe survive the onslaught of torture and finally make it out of here.

“What does it say, Jace?” Zach asks, trying to peak over his shoulder at the certificate in his hand with the two words printed in unfeeling Times New Roman. 

“Zach, what do you think it says?” Jace was so tired. He just wanted live. Was that too much to ask? Instead of staring at the white walls that surround him and the white coats of the scientists that test him, Jace wanted to explore. He wanted to meet his parents, his real parents, not the ones that visit him once a month as apart of the psych eval. But apparently, the government decided he doesn’t deserve to live, as shown by the Machine of Death that had been placed in the cafeteria, ready to deliver the punishment of knowing your death before it ever happens.

Jace was one of the last people to get tested. Sure, there was Ash, Zach, and Riko who still have to take it, but he really thought he was the one that was going to make a difference. Instead, he and everyone else that is trapped in this prison will die from a GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENT, never getting to see the real world. 

“Marshmallows?” Zach asked, licking his lips at the thought of eating a marshmallow. Jace knew he was trying to cheer him up, so he decided to play along.

“Yep, you guessed it. I’m going to drown inside a giant vat of melted marshmallow while you guys all watch,” Jace could feel Zach using his PR on him, making him happier, which he didn’t mind for once. Sometimes Zach’s powers made him uncomfortable because he didn’t like his emotions being controlled, but right now he needed something to cheer him up, magic or not.

“Mmmm, marshmallows.... I could really go for some of those right now. Do you think that the cook will give us some? You did just get your death so she might give us a free pass!” Zach’s excited energy at eating a marshmallow radiated off of him and Jace just had to join him in running over to the kitchen. 

Zach knocked once, but no one answered, “Cook!” he called, yet she didn’t even make a noise. The two boys knocked on the door, then started banging on it until Jace hit the door with too much strength, breaking the knob and unlocking the door.

“Hello?” Zach called as they walked into the kitchen, passing the door which was swinging dangerously on its hinges, “maybe she is actually one of the scientists in disguise to see more of our personality when we’re not being tested. Or maybe she had magic powers like us and she had been undercover trying to save us and they finally discovered it so she’s been killed or-” Zach started labeling but stopped when the two boys turned the corner to where the pantry is. 

“Shit,” Jace said as he stared at the cook, who was in the middle of grabbing a bag of flour as it fell on her head, suspended in midair, each particle of flour still as they all awaited falling on the cook’s head. The cook had one arm reaching for the bag, the other protecting her eyes from the dangerous powder, “sorry,” he whispered to her, as he grabbed the flour powder and scooped it back into the bag, setting it on the ground next to the cook. 

Zach clapped when Jace was done, wiping the extra powder from his hands on his white pants and white shirt, “C’mon, let’s go back to the machine before you pass out from exhaustion,” Jace nodded and took Zach’s hand. He was so in shock over his death that he didn’t even realize that he had activated his power and accidentally froze time. It was a little embarrassing that he didn’t have more control over his magic, but he was proud of himself for being able to keep time in suspension for so long. But, he was definitely not going to bring it up to the scientists, in case they try to make him use his power more. 

Zach and Jace arrived back at the Machine of Death and Jace exhaled. As he relaxed he could feel time start up again, everything returning to normal. 

“Jace,” Zach said after time had started up again, “That was so cool! I had no idea you could freeze time for so long! It’s amazing!” he was jumping up and down, his energy seeping into Jace’s emotions but he blocked it. There needed to be at least one person who could keep a level head around Zach or else who knows what would happen. 

“C’mon Z, let’s head back to see everyone.”

“Okay! Race ya!”

Zach broke off running through the double doors that separated the cafeteria from the “Living Quarters” and Jace thanked the gods that it was a day off and there would be no guards around to discipline them for running in the halls.

Jace strolled down the halls, watching Zach run down them in a strange zigzag pattern that made Jace keep a close eye on the boy even though he was going much faster than him. When they reached their “Living Quarters” Zach was exhausted, leaning on Jace as he was trying to catch his breath.

“Too...fast...Olympics...” Zach painted as Jace practically carried him through the “Living Quarters” doors and down the hallway to the “Sitting Room”.

Jace had gotten pretty good at deciphering Zach’s half-finished thoughts, and this one was much easier than most, “You think you can run fast enough to be in the Olympics?” he confirmed as Zach nodded, his breath quieter but Jace could still see his chest heave in and out.

The boys walked into the “Sitting Room”, Zach immediately sitting down on the faded red couch, exhausted. Jace gave everyone a wave and joined him, high fiving Tristan, who was already sitting on the couch before Zach barged in.

“So, what did you get?” Clare asked, and Jace stared blankly at her until it clicked. In all of Zach’s crazy antics, Jace had forgotten that he had even gotten his death today.

“Oh, I got like everyone else. GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENT. I wish it was different,” he said, pulling the card out of his pocket and tossing it at Clare, who duplicated into Adrian to catch it. She stuck her tongue out at him for throwing so badly but he just shrugged. Clare’s powers were always the coolest, and when they first met, he had followed Clare around until she explained it to him. Apparently, she had a twin who also had the same power, and they learned that the two of them could make copies of both themselves and their twin. Adrian, Clare’s twin, also learned that they could merge into one person, which is what he did most of the day. He said it was because he wanted to preserve energy for when they had to do tests, but Jace just thinks it's because he’s too shy to talk to anyone. 

“I told you guys,” Alexis grumbled, sitting on the couch across from Jace. Her girlfriend, Ellie was rubbing Alexis’s back reassuringly, and Jace smiled.

“Well, maybe Ash, Zach or Riko’s will be different,” he protested, but he knew it was a moot point. The nine (or ten if you count Adrian) were going to die in this building, and nothing they could do was going to stop it.

“We just need to think more positively. Nothing can happen when we sit idly by” Riko added telepathically, and Jace turned to look at her. She never usually engages in the big conversation like this, due to an accident during testing that made her become partially deaf, so the fact that she knew what was going on was shocking enough. But what was even more shocking was that she was right.

“Riko, I think you might be on to something!” Jace exclaimed, waking Zach, who had started to sleep next to him, “we need to make a plan to escape. Screw these stupid Machine of Deaths! We can’t let them control our lives, it’s what they want!” 

“But how? Our powers can only do so much and they don’t even work half the time,” Ash protested, “I can only shift today because they turned the blockers off,” he demonstrated by turning into Jace and back again, making the real Jace shiver uncomfortably. He always remembered his real parents telling him stories of shapeshifters that would take his face and eat him if he didn’t behave, and even though Ash’s power was also shapeshifting, the childhood fear had never faded. 

“Which means we need to make a plan to either plan our escape on a break day or find some way to break the blockers. We’ve been trapped in this hellhole for more than ten years now, this cannot stand!”

There was silence as everyone was thinking, “Let’s meet up, tonight,” Tristan finally said, and everyone nodded. Tonight would be the perfect time to make the perfect plan.

 

* * *

 

Jace climbed out of his bunk and snuck into the “Sitting Room” one hour after Lights Out. he thought he would be the first person there, but he was surprised to see Holly pacing the floor, whispering to herself. He was surprised she wasn’t teleporting around by how stressed she looked. 

“Holly? You okay?” he asked and she made a small around of surprise, teleporting across the room in shock. 

Jace apologized as she collected herself, giving him a glare that he knew was held not malicious intent, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just been trying to think how we are going to do this. We would need not only a layout of the facility, but the times that all the guard's patrol, how to get past them and how to open the door to the blockers and figure out how to turn them off. Then we all need to escape, all before any of the scientists or guards notice and stop us. There is just a lot of loose ends,” she explained, fidgeting with her white uniform nervously. 

“Look, I know it may seem like a lot to do, but we’ve been in this facility for pretty much our entire lives. If anyone is going to make it out of this place it’s us. All of us.”

That seemed to make Holly relax more, and she stopped fidgeting, smiling at him. Then Ash walked in, followed by Riko and Tristan. He gave the two a sly smile and Jace groaned. Ash only made that face when he had a plan, usually a bad one.

Jace and Holly sat down on the couches, Holly next to Riko and Jace next to Tristan. Jace felt his face heat up slightly when he realized how close he was to Tristan, but the other boy didn’t seem to mind. Trying to look anywhere but at him, Jace caught eyes with Ash, who gave a thumbs up. Jace had never wanted to hit someone more than in that moment. 

But, Ash’s not-so-secret-wingmanning was interrupted by Alexis and Ellie, and Clare and Zach, who were holding hands. They had started dating almost a year ago, and Jace was never sure how he felt about it. Something about their relationship seemed off, but Jace could never put his finger on it. He never brought it up to Zach, because he would probably just blow it off. 

As the two sat down, Jace noticed that Adrian was lingering in the doorway, taking a seat on the beanbag, far away from everyone else. Jace smiled. It was nice that Adrian had taken the time to show up to this.

“Okay, now that everyone is here, let’s make a plan. Any ideas?”

Ash raises his hand, “Actually yes. I have memorized the layout of this building and where all the rooms are, including the one that blocks our powers. All we need is someone who knows the times of the guards and we are set.”

“Oh! I know the guard times! There are three in front of the blocker at all times and they switch every 55 minutes - sometimes they switch every 54 but I think it’s because of that time I changed all their watches to be a minute off...” Zach exclaimed, waving his hand around excitedly as everyone stared at him. 

“Zach, how do you know that?” Alexis asked, looking at him in shock.

“Well since I don’t usually train with you guys I walk around with Ellie and I befriended the guards and got bored. Right Ellie?” Now everyone turned to look at her, and she nodded.

“It was also kind of a dare. I said that there was no way he could learn every guard’s name and what time they got off in a week and he did. So I let him eat my dessert for two weeks.” she said sheepishly. 

“So that means Ash and Zach will go to destroy the blocker, what next?” Jace said, and everyone nodded.

“I think Jace and Tristan should join them,” Adrian spoke up, his eyes focused on the carpet in front of him, “When the blocker is destroyed Jace can use his powers to stop time and Tristan can be there to amplify his powers.”

There was a long silence in the room, everyone thinking over what Adrian proposed. After a lot of thinking, Holly broke the silence, “I think that might work. It would be even better if we did it at night, and Adrian could sleep in Ash’s bed, because he’s the one that sneaks out the most, so guards only check his room anymore.”

“Ash and Zach could be used as more distractions for Tristan and Zach,” Riko added softly.

Jace clapped his hands together, excited, “So, the plan for tomorrow is that we wait until the night, Ash, Tristan, Zach, and I sneak out, Adrian in Ash’s bed, and we wait for the guards to switch. Then Tris and I break in while Zach and Ash distract from the outside. Then we destroy it and I freeze time with Tris’s help. I gather you all and we escape and live our lives. All good?” Jace summarizes the plans and everyone nods, excited. 

“I don’t know how I’m gonna get through all the tests, I’m too excited!” Clare said, and for once, Jace agreed with her. 

He only had to wait one more night, then he would be free. 

 

* * *

 

Tonight’s the night. The other had given Jace the signals, confirming that they were ready. He met up with Ash, Tristan, and Zach right after tests to go over the plan very quickly, mainly for Zach and Ash, because they both had a habit to forget things. Adrian went and hid in Ash’s room before the guards came in, waiting for Ash’s cue to come and lay in his bed. 

Jace knew that he had to wait a few hours for the guards to switch so he could sneak out, but he couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes they snapped back open, unable to stay shut with all the nerves wound up inside him. He decided to pass the time by talking to himself in French and Chinookan, the two languages he was allowed to study during ‘school times’. By the time that he had managed to count to one hundred in both languages three times, he heard a bird quietly call from the room across from his. Jace smiled. That was Zach’s signal for the guard change. He quietly snuck out of his room, like he had done many nights before, and greeted Zach with a smile and a fistbump. The two of them ran to a storage closet, positioned just so none of the guards would see them if they decided to look down the hallway.

Jace and Zach walked into the closet, and just as they got the door shut, the light turned on, causing Jace to jump and Zach to let out a small scream. When Jace had recovered he saw that he was face to face with Ash, who was standing right next to the light switch and grinning wildly.

“You idiot! What if I had hit you?” Jace scolded, but it only made Ash’s grin get wider.

“Yeah well even if you had punched me, nothing would take away from the look on your face when I turned the light on.”

“When we get out of here, I am going to kill you.”

“You couldn’t catch me.”

“Wanna find-” Jace was cut off by a warm hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Tristan, who was looking a little annoyed. 

“We need to be prepared for a break-in, not a chase,” he said, and Jace nodded, giving Ash one last glare before he composed himself. He needed all his strength for when they destroy the blocker.

There was a short silence as the four boys all steadied themselves for what was to come, “When I give the signal, Jace and Tris can head out. If both guards don’t come with us then move to Plan B,” Zach said, taking a deep breath. They all joined hands for a quick second, and Jace sent out a quick prayer, Please let us be free. Then Ash and Zach walked out, and the closet was silent.

Jace opened his mouth, then closed it. Right now, all he wanted to do was talk, but he knew Tristan wasn’t very good at conversing.

Jace was in the middle of deciding whether or not to just start rambling about something or other when he felt Tristan’s hand take his and squeezed. 

Jace flushed, but didn’t remove his hand, instead giving Tristan a small smile, which he returned.

Then a whistle rang out and Jace yanked his hand from Tristan’s. That was the signal. It was time.

They crept out of the closet, and sped down the hallway, changing to a normal pace when they made it through the door that separates the “Bedroom Quarters” from the “Kitchen Quarters”, where the blocker was. 

“Thank you so much Oliverrrrr and Lawerenceeeee, you have no idea how hungry I am for ice creammmmm. That reminds me of a time....” Jace heard Zach’s voice from down the hallway to the kitchen and sighed. At least Zach had managed to grab both guards. 

He and Tristan made it down the many hallways and corners that Ash had told them lead to the blocker room. Finally, they made it, staring at a locked door with the name BLOCKER printed on it in big letters. 

“You’re up,” Jace whispered to Tristan, as he pulled out a hairpin and started to get to work on the lock. Jace didn’t know how Tristan had learned how to pick a lock, and he decided that maybe not knowing was for the best.

Three minutes later, a soft click was heard and the door swung open. Jace and Tristan quickly stepped inside and shut the door. 

The room was cast in a purple light, thanks to the blocker, which was shining, almost pulsating with power. It looked to be hard metal in most places, but where the light was shining through was made of glass, something very nice and punch-able. Jace stretched, and Tristan grabbed his arm, ready to lend him his power when the blocker was destroyed. Jace took a deep breath and punched.

The glass exploded, and Jace felt it go into his hand, but he saw the blocker shut off, the purple light disappearing, and he smiled, and activated his power. 

Extracting his hand from the glass mess that used to be the blocker, Jace cringed at the amount of glass that was stuck in it. He was never going to be a hand model now, he thought sadly. He and Tristan picked out most of the big pieces of glass, saving the rest for later. 

They left the blocker room and headed to the kitchen, finding Ash and Zach in mid-grab for two ice cream cones. Jace grabbed them and they unfroze, looking sadly at the frozen ice cream before heading back to the rooms.

Jace could feel the power draining from him. Luckily he had Tristan to relieve some of the exhaustion, but it was weighing on him as he grabbed Clare and Adrian and Riko and Ellie and Alexis and Holly. He was about to pass out when they were a few yards from the doors. 

“You can stop now,” Holly said, grinning and teleporting behind him, “We are all ready to use our powers.”

The others cheered, and Jace smiled, letting go of time and feeling the exhaustion hit him like a truck. Tristan helped steadied him, but Jace wanted to do this on his own. He wanted to walk through those gates. 

   When he let go of time, there was a mad dash to the doors, everyone using their powers as much as they wanted. Zach’s joy was infectious, the ten of them were cheering and crying tears of happiness. There were around 50 Clares and Adrians, carrying the originals to the door. Alexis had turned invisible and was carrying Ellie, both of them laughing. Riko was talking telepathically, thanking every one of them and telling each one of them what she loves about them. Holly was teleporting everywhere, so fast Jace could barely see her. Ash had shapeshifted to a 10 food version of himself, towering over everyone. Jace made eye contact with the giant and stuck his tongue out at him. Ash went to return the gesture when he froze, looking at his side. It was red. Jace turned around and there were guards everywhere. There were so many guards, all wearing black with big guns, all trained at the ten of them. 

Ash had shifted down to his normal size and Tristan picked him up and ran. All of them ran. They made it through the front door but it wasn’t enough. The guards were still chasing. Adrian and Clare sent their doubles at the guards, while Riko started screaming in their heads, causing the guards to convulse on the ground, ears bleeding. Holly touched Ash and Tristan, teleporting them. She returned and grabbed Jace and Riko. She also grabbed Clare and Adrian, but left Ellie and Alexis, because Alexis could give them both invisibility.

They had teleported to one of their old training grounds, a small shack out in the desert surrounded by destroyed targets.

Jace caught his breath and sat next to Tristan, who was kneeling over Ash. There was so much red that Jace was already covered in it. 

“How is he doing?”

“Not good. We don’t have any supplies.”

“I knew something was going to go wrong. It was too easy.”

Tristan grabbed his face, his black eyes staring into Jace’s, “This is not your fault. It’s those scientists. Those dirty, disgusting, _revolting_ scientists that thought that shooting someone was better than letting them escape.”

“Can I kiss you?” Jace blurted out, then clamped a hand over his mouth, during bright red. Tristan, on the other hand, just laughed and leaned in. 

They kissed and Jace felt his heart soar. Sure, it probably wasn’t the best kiss, but it was amazing in Jace’s opinion. It felt like the world had melted away, that they were the only two people in the world. That is, until Ash let out a soft cough, making them break apart. 

“I told you you’d kiss him,” Ash weakly said, a smile on his pale face. 

Jace had avoided crying, but looking at one of his closest friend’s dying face, he lost it. Tears started streaming down his face, and soon the others had joined in a circle around him, holding hands and crying. 

“G-Guys, don’t cry for me,” Ash said, “I’m happy. I got to know all of you and got to fulfill my one dream, escaping that hellhole,” everyone smiled at that. 

“I just want to say, thank you, everyone, for being the best people, and the only people I would want to die in front of. I love you all.” 

Ash’s eyes went blank, his hands limp, one last tear trailing down his cheek. Jace saw Zach close Ash’s eyes, and the nine of them leaned on each other, dreaming of tomorrow, of their first day of freedom. 


End file.
